August is perhaps the most important month for gardeners keen on sowing and growing their own spring and summer crops and its nice to now be thinking of ripe tomatoes, cucumbers, aubergines, juicy melons, sweet crunchy capsicums and hot, pungent chillies. Before we can plant these mouth waterers we must sow them and grow them into viable seedlings. Buying seed now puts you at the start of the game and can help the rush of spring to be a more relaxed and well-planned affair. It should save you money as you generate many seedlings for the price of one bought at the garden centre and as you enjoy that harvest further down the line you’ll have the pleasure of knowing that you were involved from start to finish.
Petite Kitchen's Eleanor Ozich offers a winter range of goodness including a Kale salad, Slow cooked zucchini, Chai spiced carrot cake and soothing Chicken soup here.

August SOW & PLANT

Clear warm windowsills, tidy your greenhouses and prepare small pots, punnets and trays for sowing seeds of aubergine, capsicum, chilli, cucumber, zucchini and tomato. These will produce seedlings ready for the first signs of settled warm weather in a couple of months’ time. If you are in a really cold part of the country then a cold frame or greenhouse may come in handy as you await the right growing conditions outdoors. In the shorter term, sowing and planting kohlrabi, early peas, mizuna, beetroot and carrots where soil is workable and periodically sun-kissed should serve up some welcome produce in spring. Plant rhubarb crowns in richly composted soil and watch out for slugs and snails. August is also a last chance to plant garlic.
For those with a long-term garden plan its time to plant asparagus crowns for a succulent, spring harvest that could keep recurring for up to 20 years.

August HARVEST

Leeks, cabbages and turnips sown last autumn should be ready around now along with broccoli, spinach, silverbeet, cauliflower and kohlrabi. Early season avocados can be harvested when they reach mature size. Pick them when they are still hard – they don’t actually soften on the tree – keep them at room temperature for a few days and they should be ready.
Tamarillos are often at their best in August and olives are also ready for trees to be shaken onto a sheet or tarpaulin – the easiest way to gather them quickly.
Citrus is in good shape around now too with oranges. Lemons, mandarins and grapefruit all adding some zest to mid winter.

August SEASONAL TASKS

Time to check your tools are all in good shape and well-oiled. Wait for a sunny day and empty your shed onto the lawn or driveway. Go through all hand tools and check handles and heads are still firmly fixed and without wobbles. Cutting tools such as secateurs, shears, loppers and hoes can be sharpened with a sharpening stone that can be purchased from a hardware store. Oil all moving tools and use a wire brush or fine sandpaper to remove any rust that has appeared on blades etc. Once clean, rub with an oil-soaked cloth. Use linseed oil or beeswax to rub down all wooden tool handles and keep them clean and flexible.

Islay Harvey's TIPFOR August

Easy seed selection

"“Just grow stuff that you know you are going to eat.”"

August FEATURED TASKS

Lift and separate mature Globe Artichokes

Now is a good time to revitalize mature globe artichokes. As plants get older their bases become unproductive and crowded with stems. As they are semi-dormant right now – just beginning to push on with new growth – plants can be lifted from the soil with roots attached. You’ll notice that around the outer edge of your clump there are smaller plantlets forming with a new main stems and roots beneath. Use a spade to cut these into separate pieces unless they easily fall apart. It might be worth trimming foliage back so that plantlets don't topple over when you re-plant them.

Hunt down Passionvine Hopper egg cases

With leaves absent on many check fruit trees, vines and shrubs it is easy to go on the hunt for egg cases of passion vine hoppers. Passion vine hoppers are those small, brownish, delta-winged insects that suck sap from a wide variety of fruiting plants through summer. Because they and their fluffy-bummed immature larvae can get airborne very quickly they are very difficult to control. If you spot any egg cases cut them out and burn them now, if removal might damage a cherished plant then try smearing the long, slit-like cases with vaseline or covering with tape to impede hatching in the coming months.